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APEC leaders add security to economic agenda

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Oct. 21. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has added `security' to its agenda. Setting the agenda at the two-day summit, which concluded in Bangkok today, leaders of the 21 member-economies pledged themselves to "dismantle, fully and without delay, trans-national terrorist groups that threaten the APEC economies''.

The leaders, representing countries and non-sovereign entities on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, agreed to "eliminate the severe and growing danger posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery''. It would be done through "strengthening international non-proliferation regimes, adopting and enforcing effective export controls, and taking other legitimate and appropriate measures against proliferation''. The leaders, pledging to "confront other direct threats to the security of our region'', said they would discuss the "progress towards these security commitments'' at "each leaders' meeting''.

They said they had now "agreed to dedicate APEC not only to advancing the prosperity of our economies but also to the complementary mission of ensuring the security of our people''. The U.S. President, George W. Bush, had led the campaign in the face of some opposition to the addition to the agenda which might transform the economic forum into a virtual political outfit. In a sense, issues such as the East Timor crisis in 1999 had figured prominently at the summits. However, the latest exercise marks the first definitive move to invest the APEC forum with a political mandate as well.

On some micro-level issues with security overtones, the APEC leaders agreed to "strengthen our joint efforts to curb terrorist threats against mass transportation and confront the threat posed by terrorists' acquisition and use of Man-Portable Air Defence Systems [MANPADS] against international aviation''.

Strict controls by each member-economy on various aspects of the MANPADS availability and use were spelt out as a firm commitment. The progress would be reviewed at next year's APEC summit in Chile, it was stated.

A `better' counter-terror coordination was also identified as an urgent task on hand. No specific issues such as the suspected role of Jemaah Islamiyah as an East Asian `affiliate' of the Al-Qaeda and North Korea's nuclear-weapons `programme', were dealt with in the APEC Declaration. However, they were raised during the "retreat sessions''. Underscoring the importance of "health security'', the leaders issued a statement, pledging themselves to act against bio-terrorist attacks and outbreak of diseases.

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